'In all respects the standards of care, maintenance and management were found to be extremely high and are a credit to Chester City Council.

'I am instructed to compliment your authority on the high calibre of the cemeteries and crematorium registrar and her staff, and on the excellence of the cremation facilities provided.'

The letter came after members of the federation, a national organisation that assesses the standards at crematoriums across the country, met the city council's environment portfolio holder Cllr Paul Roberts, and registrar Christine Wedge during their visit to Chester.

`The staff at our crematorium do a tremendous job and it's nice to see their commitment being recognised,' said Cllr Roberts.

Pensioner Mrs Gillard, of Grange Road, Ellesmere Port, visits the cemetery every week to tend her late mother's grave.

Last month she and her son-in-law Mr Davis were so fed up with the overgrown state of the grass verges, they took their own gardening tools.

'It is distressing to see my mother's grave in such a state. In the last few months it has really gone downhill,' said Mrs Gillard at the time.

Chester City Council apologised at the time and promised to speak to the contractors and now Mrs Gillard and Mr Davis say they have noticed a marked improvement.

`The very next time we went we saw four men there working very hard,' said Mrs Gillard. `It has been a lot better since then.'